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C1871
The Native Bear. (Phascolarctos Cinereus)
Artist:
Rare c.19th lithograph of Koalas by the Australian female artist, Harriet Scott (1830-1907). In the early depictions of Australian exotic zoology, it was the unique mammals such as the kangaroo and platypus that captured the artists and collectors imagination, and … Read Full Description
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Details
Full Title:
The Native Bear. (Phascolarctos Cinereus)
Date:
C1871
Artist:
Condition:
Unobtrusive repaired tear at left sheet, otherwise in good condition.
Technique:
Hand coloured lithograph.
Image Size:
300mm
x 390mm
Paper Size:
363mm
x 532mm
AUTHENTICITY
Genuine antique
dated:
1871
Description:
Rare c.19th lithograph of Koalas by the Australian female artist, Harriet Scott (1830-1907).
In the early depictions of Australian exotic zoology, it was the unique mammals such as the kangaroo and platypus that captured the artists and collectors imagination, and as a consequence were more often illustrated. It is not surprising then, that the Koala was one of the least depicted of the local fauna and it wasn’t until 1798, some nine years after settlement, that it was first recorded and then formally described in 1811.
1788 First sighting (26th January). John Price, Bargo, NSW ‘There is another animal which the natives call a ‘cullawine’, which much resembles the sloths in America.
1802 First specimen (parts only) Barrallier, location unknown NSW ‘The Aboriginals brought portions of a monkey (in the native language Colo), but they had cut it into pieces… I sent these two feet to the Government preserved in a bottle of brandy. 1803 First published account (21st August) Sydney Gazette, Port Jackson, NSW An Animal whose species was never before found in the Colony, is in His excellency’s possession.
1808 First scientific report (23rd June ) Everard Home, S.W. Of Port Jackson It is commonly about two feet long and one high, in the girth about one foot and half it is covered with the soft fur, lead coloured on the back, and white on the belly.
Common names: Koala, Koala Bear, Native Bear.
Modern binomial name: Phascolarctos cinereus
First described: Goldfuss 1817
From Kreft, G. Mammals of Australia.
References:
Ferguson, J. A. Bibliography of Australia Volumes 1-8, Canberra 1976 : 11248
Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 87090
University Library Melbourne: Call No: 599 K92
State Library New South Wales: Record Identifier 74VvrBpxqXwX
State Library Victoria: RARELTEF ; 599 K87
Harriet Scott (1830 - 1907)
Scott and her sister Helena Forde (1832-1910) (nee Scott) were born in the Rocks area of Sydney to Harriet Calcott, daughter of an ex-convict, and Alexander Walter Scott, a wealthy man who would become known in the colony as an entomologist, grazier and entrepreneur. Helena and Harriet (known as the Scott sisters) were two of 19th century Australia’s most prominent natural history illustrators and possibly the first professional female illustrators in the country. In 1846, Harriet and Helena, then aged 16 and 14, moved from Sydney to the isolated Ash Island in the Hunter River estuary with their mother, Harriet Calcott, and father, entomologist and entrepreneur Alexander Walker Scott. There, surrounded by unspoilt native vegetation and under the inspiring tutelage of their artistic father, their shared fascination with the natural world grew. For almost 20 years, the sisters lived and worked on the island, faithfully recording its flora and fauna, especially the butterflies and moths. The sisters continued to draw and paint commercially for the rest of their lives. Harriet drew botanical illustrations for the 1879, 1884 and 1886 editions of the Railway Guide to New South Wales, and they both executed designs for Australia’s first Christmas cards in 1879. Harriet died at Granville NSW in 1907 and Helena in 1910. Reference; Australian Museum.
